Article forming apparatus



Febt 8, 1944., I G. c. MATSQN I ARTICLEFORMING APPARATUS Filed Aug.. 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. c. MATsoN 2,341,462l ARTICLE FORMING APPARATUS' Filed Aug. 16, 1941 s seet-sheet s Feb. 8, 1944.

Patented Feb. 8, 1944 UNITED sra'rss PATENT oF-Flcr:

an'rionr. roar/nuo APPARATUS George C. Matson, Brookield,,Ill. `'assignor to Western Electric Company, "Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Appiication Augustl, 1941,v Serial No. 407,229

` I 5 claims. (o1. 29-34) This invention relates -to article forming ap severed from the material is reinserted in thev opening in the material and remains thereinduring the advance ofthe material and until removed by suitable means. In the production in a compoimd punch and die mechanism, of articles requiring a working `on their peripheral edges, such as, for instance, a `dial finger Wheel for automatic telephone sets, which require rounding preferably effected by a swaging opera ation, it is necessary that the wheel be positively transferred to and accurately positioned at the swaging position and preceding the swaging operation to .be freed from the scrap material to permit swaging dies to operate on its peripheral edges.

An'object ofthe present invention is to provide a simple, efficient and practical mechanism for .use in a compound punch and die mechanism for. 'clamping an article to the material from which it was blanked to insure its accurate transfer tothe iinal tools'.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided in one embodiment thereof, as used in connection with a compound punch and die mechanism, an apparatus for clamping an article to the material from which it was blanked for insuring accurate transferof the blanked article which is to be periph-A erally swaged from the blanking position to the swaging position.

Speciiically, the clamping apparatus comprises a pair of 'spring pressed pivotal arms between which opposite forward portions of the advancing strip material, formed by cutting a portion of the material betwen two articles from the material, are forced to apply pressure on the outer edges thereof in order to positively clamp and center the article carried therebetween, thus causingthe article to be transferred to and ac` curately positioned at the swaging position. .Immediately preceding the operation Vof the swaging dies, the forward portions are severed from the ysera-p material and in timed relation there-A with the spring Ypressed clamping arms .are'd-rawn orA forced open by means carried on the punchy head, which is descending 4to perform the swagingv i. oper-ationand the severed scr-ap portions fall away, whereupon the freed article is moved intoI position on the lower swaging die ready foihtlfiev descendingupper swaging die.

' Other Vobjects and advantages of vthis invention'` willir more-.fully appear from the following de tailed description, tak-en in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which f'liig.V l is a fragmentary side view :of a punchr press for loperating a. compound punch andfdie: mechanism equipped. with an article clamping.

apparatus embodying :the features of this invention;

.li-"ig,` `2 is an enlarged fragmentary View. of4 Fig. l.;

. Fig.v 3 isa plan sectional view taken on the line 3 3 lof Fig. 2;

Fig.; 4 is a plan View of the strip material removed from the apparatusshown in Fig. 3, illus'-I trating more clearly the blanked and perforated dial finger wheels carried in the material, the material .removed .from between a pair of Wheels ina following step, theiorward end portions of the scrap material severed .at the 4nalsvvaging position being shown in-broken outline and ,the forward wheel freed of the material; and Fig. `5 is `an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5fof Fig. 4 througha completed wheel showing the periph eral edges rounded by swaging.

VReferring to the drawings, particularly to Fig.VV 1, one embodiment of this invention is `illustrated as used in connection with a compound punch and die mechanism, indicated at It, which is operatively connected to a punch press frame l-i and a'reciprocatory ram l2 of the press, which is ragmentarily illustrated. Carried onr the frame/ll is a set of yfeed rolls I3, by means of which Vstrip material, `indicated at Isl, is intermittently advanced from a supply in coil `form (not shown) in a horizontal plane through the punch and die mechanism from right to left; as shown in Fig. l. Since the punch and die-mechanism lll, punch press and-feed rolls I3- are well knowncin' the art, only such parts thereof will be' described which are believedY necessary to a full"understandingV of the present invention.

. The:.dial nger wheel for automatic telephone sets',:indicated at-20 (Figs. 4 and 5) ,.isan examplev of an iartiele vrequiring working on its peripheral edges; 'Such a wheel comprises a flat disk shaped article having ten finger apertures 2l and three mounting apertures 22 formed therein, the peripheral edges of the disk and the apertures 2| being rounded at their opposite edges, as shown in Fig. 5 at 23, to prevent injury to a user of the telephone.

It may ibe stated at this point that several sets of punches and cooperating die apertures, shearing blades and swaging dies which are included in the mechanism I9 and at suitable distances apart, operate simultaneously on the material 20 and results in forward end portions 49 on the l I4 while it is stationary (Figs. 2 and 4) at positions A, B and C and at position D on the blank dial finger wheel during each downward movement of the press ram I2. Thus, at each advance movement of the material I4 it will be acted upon successively at the positions A, B and C and the blank wheel at the position D. Furthermore, it will be understood that the feed rolls I3 are operated in timed relation to the reciprocatory movements of the ram I2, through suitable well-known means (not shown) so that the material I4 is intermittently advanced an equal distance during each upward movement of spaced guide plates 28 between which opposedl longitudinal edges of the strip material I4 pass in its intermittent advance through the mechanism. At position A the head 26 carries a punch and die plate 29 in which ,is mounted a series of perforating punches for forming the finger and mounting apertures 2I and 22 in the dial finger wheel 26. One of the perforating punches is indicated in dotted outline at 32 in Fig. 2. Carried on the punch bed is a blanking punch 33 which in cooperation with a blanking die laperture 34 in the plate 29 blanks the wheel 26V from the material I4. Formed in the punch 33 is a series of perforating die apertures for cooperation with the perforating punches 32 and aligned therewith are apertures in the bed 25 for the passage of the punched slugs. One of the perforating die apertures is indicated in dotted outline at 35 and at 36 is an aligned aperture in the bed 25 for the passage of slugs. Carried in the blanking die aperture 34 is a shouldered spring pressed shedder 31 for pressing, in cooperation with the spring actuated stripper plate 21, as the ram I2 moves upwardly, the blanked wheel 29 from the die aperture 34 of the plate 29 into the opening in the strip material vI4 from which it was punched. A plurality of pins, one of which is indicated at 38 (Fig. 2), backed up by a plate and compression spring 39con.

stantly act against the upper surface of the shedder 31 to maintain it in its normal position withits lower face aligned with the lower lend of the blanking die aperture 34 in the punch and die plate 29. Y

At position B (Figs. 2 and 3) the punch bed 25 supports a xed punch 4I and the punch and die head 26 carries a die plate 42 provided with a die -aperture 43, indicated in dotted outline, which cooperates with the vpunsch 4I to cut at spaced points 44 (Fig. 3) a portion 41 of rthematerlal from between two -advanced wheels 20. This leaves an opening-48 between the two wheels scrap material, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The scrap portions 41 are forced into the die aperture 43, in stack formation (Fig. 2) and into a transverse opening 50 in the punch and die head 26 which extends from side to side thereof. Carried in the opening 50 and in the path of one corner of the stacked scrap portions 41 is a stationarycam plate 5I which serves to displace the portions, as they come into contact therewith, to one side of the stack to permit the portions to be removed from the opening 56 and into a receptacle at one end of the opening by a blast of air supplied to the opening at its opposite end. The means for supplying the blast of air and the receptacle are not shown since they'are not believed necessary to an understanding of this invention. Also at position B the die plate 42 supports at each side of the die aperture 43 a pair of pilot pins 54 which enter aligned pilot apertures 55 in the stripper plate 21 after passing through a pair of finger apertures 2l in the wheels 20 at each side of the punch 4I for the purpose of accurately positioning and holding the Wheels while the portion 41 of material between the wheels is cut out.

At position C the punch bed 25 supports a pair of angularly arranged spaced shearing blades 56 which cooperate with aligned shearing edges 51 vformed on the die plate 42. The blades 56 and edges 51 are arranged to sever the forward end portions 49 on the scrap material, the portions being severed at an angle, as indicated at 58 (Figs. 3 and 4) from their outer edges forwardly to their inner edges for a purpose which will be referred to hereinafter. The material end portions 49 upon being severed from the material I4 fall onto inclined faces 59 formed in the punch bed 25 which direct them into receptacles (not shown).

At the nal position D where the wheels 26 are completed the punch and die head 26 carries ay swaging die 69 and the punch bed 25 supports a cooperating swaging die 62, die formations therein being indicated in dotted outline at 63 and 64, respectively. The die formations 63 and 64 are effective to produce the rounded edges 23 (Fig. 5) upon the peripheral edges of the wheel and the nger apertures 2I upon closing in upon the wheel 20. The wheel 20 was previously transferred between and aligned with the swaging dies 60 and 62 by means of the forward end portions 49 of the scrap material and cooperating clamping and transfer apparatus, indicated `in general at 65 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), to be presently described. Depending from the swaging die 66 is a pilot pin 66 which is adapted to enter the central mounting aperture 22 of the wheel 20 in advance of it i being freed from the severed forward end scrap portions 49 of the material .I4 and' thus insurey the correct alignment of the` wheel with the die swaging die 60 to complete the swaging operationI the wheel 20 is held between the die 60 andthe plunger 69, the plunger receding into the die 62.

as the wheel reaches the die formations 64. After the swaging operation, as the swaging die 60.

moves upwardly, the plunger 69 also moves upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 carrying therewith the completed wheel 20 which is then removed by a blast `of Vair directed thereagainstby suitable means (not shown), such means. not

amigas:

being shown since itis not believed necessary to an.` understanding :of this invention.; f

The cutting out of lthe scrap .portion 4.7.,.hereinbefore referred to,. at position Brfrom `between two wheels 2G is the rst step inthe freeing ofthe leading wheel from the material I4, vwhich is completely freed therefrom at the swaging position D'. It will be appreciated that the .cutting out .ofthe tportion 4l `naturally causes the resulting Iforward end .portions 49 of the material .I4 to -spring outwardly and this condition, unless counteracted, tends to free the wheel 29. between positions B and C (Fig. 4) from the material or at least produces a condition in which .the wheel would be loosely carried. in the .material during its final transfer to position D andthereby resulting in `an inaccurate positioning vof .the

wheel at the swaging position.

The apparatus 65 (Figs. 2 .and 3) which `in cooperation with the forward endportions'49 of .the material I4 serves to positively clamp the wheels 20 to thematerial for .accurately transferring to and positioning the same at the swaging position D .comprises a pair of spring .pressed pivotal clamping arms it', one at each side edge of .the

material` #Ill at its `fo-rward end between which the outer .edges of the material end portions 49 are advanced.

`Since similar apparatus t5 is arranged at opposite sides of the material It. v.the Vfollowing description applies to'both, but is particularly directed for convenience to the-apparatus associated with the forward and lower edge of the material ill, as viewed in Figs.'2 and 3, respectively. The arm 'ill' is flatand of irregular shape` and :is pivoted at ll to a plate .l2 xed to the forward side edge of the stripper plate 2l, .the

plate being slotted at 13 to receive the arm. Op-v posite ends of the arm 'l0' project from the'plate -f'zZvand its inner end .is concave along the edge thereof which lies in the path of the side edge ofithe end portion 49 of the material IHl, as indicated at i4. A hollow arm Il of the plate 'I2 supports a compression spring i8, one endof which engages .the arm 'l0' at .the leftside of its pivot 'Il (Fig. 3) for constantly urging the same in a clockwisedirection against the edge of the material end portion 49, the pressure of the opposite arms 19 on the end portions 49 being sufficient to rmly clamp the wheel 20 in its original normal position therebetween. To limit the inward clamping movement of the arms lll a stop pin I9 is secured in the plate 'I2 in the path of the arm.

An outer end 89 of the arm I9 extends from the slotted plate 'l2 and is engaged by a vertical arm 8| of a bell crank lever 82 which is pivoted at 84 to a bracket 85 Xed to the punch bed 25. The upper faces of the horizontal arms of the levers 82 at their outer ends (Figs. l and 2) are arranged in the path of vertical push rods 86 carried by the reciprocable punch and die head 26. During each downward movement of the head 26 the rods 86 engage and rock the levers 82 clockwise and through the engagement of the vertical arms BI thereof with the ends 80 of the spring pressed pivotal clamping arms I9 the latter arms are rocked counterclockwise (Fig. 3) thus drawing them away from and releasing the material end portions 49, the arrangement being such that the shearing of the portions 49 by the shearing blades 56 and edges 51 and the withdrawal of the clamping arms therefrom occur at substantially the same' instant.

In the operation of the compound punch and die mechanism 130,' .as the reciprocable :punch and .die head .26 v.is retracted each .time .from the punch bed. i5, `the material I4 is intermittently advancedby the -feedzrolls I3 to carry the blanked .5 and perforated dial finger wheel 29 mounted therein, between vpositions B and C, to the swaging position D and during such advance the angular end faces 58 on the material end portions 49 engage the concave faces T4 of the spring pressed clamping arms 'I0' which at thistime are in theirinnermost position limited bythe stop pins 19. The advance of the material end por,- tions 49 between the arms Ill cams and forces the portions t9 inwardly and thereby lserves to positively clamp and center the wheel 20 .therebetween in its original normal position. This is the position of the parts as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.-

'Thereafter in each following downward move- 20 ment of lthe punch and die head 26 awheel 20 is blanked and perforated at position A and a scrap portion 4l cut out between two previously blanked and perforated wheels at position B.. Also the pilot pin G6 at the swaging position D enters the` central aperture 22 of the wheel 29 held by the clamping arms T9 and the material end portions 49 and in timedfrelation therewith the shearing blades 5S vand edges 5l `coact to shear the end portions 49 at 53 from the 4materia-i I4. Simul-l 30 taneously with the shearing operation the push rods factuates the levers 82 to `draw or force open the spring pressed clamping arms .19', thus permitting the sheared material end scrap portions 49 to fall away from the periphery of the wheel 29 and onto .sloping sides of the die 62 which directs them onto the inclined faces `59 of the punch ced 2li. The wheel 20 now being free of the material drops onto the plunger 69 guided by the pilot pin 36. At this point in the downward movement of the punch and die head 26 the pilot pin (it has entered the pilot aperture i9 and the wheel E@ is held between the die 60 and the receding plunger S9, the wheel'being guided to the die formations 5d of the bottom die 62 and the r upper die formations 63 of the descending die-69 immediately engage the upper face of the wheel 20 and the swaging operation is-eiected. Thereafter the-punch and die mechanism and apparatus 65 return to their normal positions as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, during which the material I4 is again advanced for the following operation.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the advantages of the article clamping apparatus of this invention shown applied to a single set of tools comprising a compound punch and die mechanism in which an article, requiring a peripheral swaging to complete it, is positively transferred to and accurately positioned by the apparatus between swaging dies, after being freed of the strip material, will be apparent.

It will be understood that the embodiment herein described is merely illustrative of the invention and one application thereof, the invention being limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A compound punch and die mechanism for progressively blanking -articles from strip material comprising means for blanking an article from the material and reinserting it therein, means for cutting a portion of the material from between two articles to form opposite arms on the advanced end of the material with an article therebetween, means engaging said opposite arms Yin the advance of the material for urging the same toward said article to hold the article therebetween during movement thereof to an advanced position, means arranged behind said position for. shearing the arms from the material to release the article, and means for withdrawing said holdingmeans from the arms in timed relation to the shearing thereof to permit the article and arms to drop from the plane of the strip material at saidv advanced position.

2. A compound punch and die mechanism for progressively blanking articles from stripmaterial comprising means for blanking an article from the material and reinserting it therein, means for cutting a portion of the material from between two articles to form opposite arms on the advanced end of the material With an article therebetween, means for peripherally working said article at an .advanced position, means engaging said opposite arms for urging the same toward said article to hold the article therebetween during movement thereof to said advanced position, means arranged behind said position for shearing the arms from the material to release the article, and means for withdrawing said holding means from the arms in timed relation to the shearing thereof to permit the arms to drop from the plane of the strip material and the article into alignment with the means for peripherally working the same at said advanced position.

3. A compound punch and die mechanism for progressively blanking ar-ticles from strip material comprising means for blanking an article from the material and reinserting it therein, means for cutting a portion of the material from between two articles to form opposite arms on the advanced end of the material with an article therebetween, longitudinally xed and laterally vyieldalole pivotal means engaging said opposite arms in the advance of the material for urging the same toward said article -to hold the -article therebetween during movement thereof to an advanced position, means arranged behind said position for shearing the arms from the material to release the article, and means for withdrawin-g said pivotal holding means from the arms in timed relation to the shearing thereof to permit the article and arms to drop from the plane of the strip material at said advanced position.

4. A compound punch and die mechanism for progressively blanking articles from strip material, comprising means `for blanking an article from .the material and reinserting it therein, means orcutting a portion of the material from betweentwo articles to form oppositearms on the advanced end of the material with an article therebetween, movable and stationary dies for peripherally working said article at an advanced position, means engaging said opposite arms for urging lthe same toward said article to hold .the article therebetween during movement thereof to said advanced position, means arranged behind said position for shearing the arms from the material torelease the article, and means for withdrawing said holding means from the arms in timed relation to the shearing thereof to permit the arms to drop from the plane of the stripL material and the article into peripherally Workin-g position on said stationary die, said stationary die having outwardly sloping sides for directing said sheared arms from the stationary die.

5. In combination with a compound punch and die mechanism including a reciprocable tool carrier, a series of tools for successively blanking articles from strip material and reinserting them therein, cutting a portion of the material from between two articles to form opposite arms on the advanced end oi the material with an article therebetween, shearing the arms from the material to release the article and peripherally swaging the released article, the swaging tools being arranged for operation after the operation of the shearing tool, of pivotal spring pressed clamping arms engaging said opposite arms before the shearing thereof for clamping and centering the article therebetween for transfer to and alignment with said peripheral swaging tools, and means including members carried by said reciprocable tool carrier operatively associated with said clamping arms for withdrawing the same from said arms in timed relation to the shearing thereof to permit the same to drop from the plane of the strip material and the article into alignment with and the operation of the swaging tools thereon;

GEORGE C. MATSON. 

